


Heart-shaped Shards

by AllumetteRouge (RedRaidingHood)



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Batman #424, Gen, M/M, Pre-New 52, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 12:14:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3895918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRaidingHood/pseuds/AllumetteRouge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim was still looking at him, still wanting and taking and refusing to give. “Yeah?” But there was something else, something ... something Jason couldn’t put into words just yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart-shaped Shards

**Author's Note:**

> There's some stuff mentioned that people not familiar with Batman #424 or Jason Todd might not know, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a gist of what happened in that issue. You can definitely skip this if you know about the "shoving(?) a rapist off a balcony"-incident.
> 
> So, long story short, while still being Robin, Jason was involved in a case of a rapist (Felipe Garzonas), who would go free, and the victim (Gloria), who killed herself during the story.  
> Jason came face-to-face with Felipe on a balcony on his own, Batman arriving later when Felipe already fell to his death. While it's ambiguos whether Jason shoved the guy to his death, Bruce's reaction is pretty clear; He's come to the conclusion that Jason did kill the man, no matter what the boy says and starts to distrust his partner.

The noise of the sirens died down as both police and ambulance rushed off to their respective duties. Not that the Red Hood hadn’t already taken care of most of it. Those fuckers weren’t really worth the medic’s time and they’d probably get off with a stern warning from the police in the morning anyway.

Jason took a shaky drag from his cigarette kicking at the gravel on the roof he’d watched Gotham’s finest from. That stupid mugging hadn’t even made him break a sweat, the message via comm-link on the other hand... He’d nearly broken a wrist hearing the kid’s voice in his ear all of a sudden.

Robin. _Red_ Robin.

The pretender.

His replacement.

Tim.

Fucking _Tim_.

“Whaddaya want?”

“No need for posturing, Hood.”

He hadn’t heard the kid arrive, but Jason had felt him the moment those disturbing eyes fixed on him a rooftop away.

Jason hated them. Those eyes. Dull grey orbs that might’ve been beautiful without the intensity in them. The brutal curiosity. The _want_. The want to know everything, everything and more than Jason was willing to give.

“I’ve heard you call that in.”

Jason stepped on the half-smoked cigarette. “And you’re here to tell me how proud you are of me. Thought I’d just beat them within an inch of their lives, leave them to rot and call it ‘justice’.” he scoffed, looking at Red Robin beside him. “Yeah, I’m one hell of a boy-scout.”

Tim pursed his lips. Prissy little thing.

“I don’t actually believe you treat every criminal in the same trigger-happy way.”

“Hear, hear.”

“Shut up.”

The kid exhaled and shook his head. His hands moved up and his fingers lingered for a moment on those boney cheekbones before slipping under the mask and pulling the cowl off.

Jason turned away. Red Robin he could handle, but Tim...

Beside him, the kid swept a hand through sweat slicked hair, unsuccessfully trying to get it to fluff up without product.

“Daddy-dearest not teaching you to keep your clothes on next to strangers?”

“Oh god, just shut up. I’m losing brain cells standing next to you.”

“There’s still some left?” he asked mock-incredulously, cackling at Tim’s affronted look before the younger shoved him with a small grin tugging at his lips. “Jeez, you’re such an asshole.”

“Yet here we are,” Jason sat down gracelessly, allowing his body to relax and his feet to dangle over the twelve-story fall below them.

“So, a mugging, huh.” The kid kept his distance, still sitting closer than he should have. Jason was dangerous. This the little bird should know. “Police scanner said they were armed.” Tim leaned back on his arms, tilting his head in a way that made his statement a question.

He needed another cigarette. Or a drink. Gritting his teeth, Jason hid his face behind a hand for a moment from those eyes. Always wanting, _taking_ more than Jason wanted to give.

“Contrary to popular believe I don’t get off on killing. Indiscriminately.” Smooth. _Fuck_.

Tim sat up, crossing his arms beneath his cape and giving Jason a frown that looked much to close to a pout. “Don’t get crass, Hood.”

Always wanting, taking, never giving even an inkling of what went on behind them.

“’Jason’.” He wasn’t wearing a mask. Neither of them was and if Red Robin could be Tim on this roof, then he was Jason.

The kid rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t insinuating you’d kill them, you know?” His voice was serious and after a moment he opened his arms again and turned to face Jason, bending a leg and pulling it back up on the roof. “You don’t kill that much actually.”

“Oh, nice. You keep count. Made a statistic? Can I see you graphs?” The grin split his face grotesquely when he leant into Tim’s space uncomfortably close. “I know you _just love_ your charts.”

It was working. Of course it was working. Getting close and personal shut people up. One thing B was actually right about. It worked, made them back off and wish to move away. It even worked against those piercing eyes.

Internally gloating at his small victory, Jason missed the faint red tinge on Tim’s face as the kid blinked, moving back and looking away. “I... He did. Has. I. I’ve seen them. Read them.” Jason’s mouth went dry. “They start. They -- You were still Robin.”

And with that, those eyes were back on him, turning the knife that was still stuck in his heart. Of course Bruce would have made charts, sorting his _disturbing tendencies_ into the comfort of numbers and cute, coloured columns. Fucking _patterns_.

“So what? What do you want?” It came out sharper than he’d intended, letting on to the hurt he felt more than disguising it.

But Tim only looked at him, not taken back, not offended, just like he’d anticipated the outburst. Grey orbs taking the truth from him without revealing their judgement again. Jason cursed, shoving a hand inside his jacket for another smoke. He brushed the holster on his side, fingers moving over the gun he hadn’t used this night.

“I read it, but. What happened? Who was this Garzonas guy and did he deserve it?”

Even after all those years he felt strongly for this, the vehemence of his words not surprising him at all. “Hell yes, he did.” It was the truth after all and there just was no hiding that from those disturbing eyes. Putting the cigarette between his lips, Jason flicked his lighter open, tried to get a flame a few times before cursing again and slapping the tool on the gravel. He ran a hand over his eyes, blinking fast and wishing the kid away with every fibre in his body. He wasn’t ready for this. Wasn’t. Would never.

Not this.

Not Garzonas.

Gloria.

 _Bruce_.

He’d said they were always consequences, his words still clear in Jason’s memory. _“For every action in this universe, there is an opposite and equal reaction.”_

And on that balcony... It wouldn't have mattered what he said. Batman had already judged him. Had made his decision that day not to trust his partner any more. Had started making fucking _statistics_ , started _counting_.

Fuck.

Whatever.

“So what did happen?” Tim’s hand slipped under his, picking the lighter up. He was leaning in and still freaking unreadable.

“I guess I spooked him,” Jason said when Tim lit his cigarette for him with steady hands. “He slipped and fell.”

A satisfied little smile grew on the kid's face, putting Jason’s lighter in his belt before the elder could protest. They kept silent, watching each other for a moment. Jason had given him the same answer he’d given Bruce, the same words, the same meaning and Tim... Tim just nodded. Accepting the words at face value.

“Replacement?” Jason voice was rough, sticking in his throat as if it was trying to avoid giving sound to this feeling.

Tim was still looking at him, still wanting and taking and refusing to give. “Yeah?” But there was something else, something ... something Jason couldn’t put into words just yet.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

_For not asking if it’s true._

_For not doubting me._

_For letting me have this._

Jason shrugged and took a drag from his cigarette, inhaling the smoke that was so similar to the air they breathed every day since birth. The air of this city. A corrupt and dirty whore of a city, a harsh mistress and their home.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you did enjoy this story since I, at least, had fun writing it. Also, I do hope I didn't go overboard with the need for previous knowledge but I guess most Jason Todd fans have heard of what happened in that issue.
> 
> Do feel free to comment and/or criticize anyway <3


End file.
